


leaves as well as thorns

by bavariansugarcookie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Knight Keith (Voltron), Love Confessions, M/M, Major Illness, Mild Blood, Mutual Pining, Prince Shiro (Voltron), Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: The King and Queen are thrilled when Prince Takashi receives a proposal from his most eligible suitor. But when Takashi develops a case of hanahaki, he refuses to confess who his unexpressed love is. Even to Keith.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 103





	leaves as well as thorns

The royal family was eating breakfast in the garden when a servant brought a letter from one of the Prince’s most eminent suitors. Takashi’s hands shook as he opened the envelope, while Allura clapped her hands. “What does it say?” she exclaimed, trying to read over his shoulder.

“It’s… a proposal,” Takashi whispered.

The king and queen beamed at each other. It was a good match - the suitor’s kingdom was prosperous and peaceful, he was handsome, and he and Takashi had maintained a friendly epistolary friendship since the summer festival the year before. But before they could offer their congratulations, the Prince started to cough.

He coughed so hard that the King thumped on his back and the Queen was about to send Allura for a healer when the Prince coughed out a small purple flower petal.

They all stared, aghast.

“But he proposed!” the queen said, bewildered.

“How long have you been coughing?” the king asked.

“Is he going to be alright?” Allura asked. 

“ _Who is it?_ ” they all demanded, but Takashi shook his head.

“He doesn’t love me back,” he whispered, looking down at the damning petal in his hand.

Before the king and queen could argue, the sword master, Kolivan, came to collect Takashi for training and he jumped up to follow him down to the training hall, leaving his parents’ questions about his unexpressed love unanswered.

***

Takashi parried Keith’s strike. “Nice try,” he teased, ducking down and slashing at Keith’s legs. But Keith just skipped away with a laugh.

“I’m not going to let you win tha easily,” he said, but then his laugh turned into a deep, wracking cough.

“Keith!” Takashi called, sheathing his sword and running over. “What’s the matter?”

Keith shook his head and tried to smile, but the breath rattled horribly in his lungs, sending him coughing again. “Let’s get you to a healer,” Takashi said, scooping him up in his arms so he wouldn’t strain his lungs.

Keith protested, “No, Shiro!”But Takashi shook his head, walking as quickly as he dared to avoid jostling Keith.

It caused quite a stir when the Prince burst into the infirmary, literally carrying his brother-in-arms in his arms. Takashi laid Keith down gently on the cot, brushing his hair out of his eyes with a worried frown. Keith smiled faintly and Takashi traced his cheekbone with a metal finger.

The healer pulled Takashi aside to plie him with questions, and Keith turned away, trying to cough quietly. One of the healers draped a blanket over him, and another offered him a soothing draught. But Keith shook his head, hardly able to breathe for the coughing.

Finally - finally - he looked down at the white petals in the palm of his hand. A whole flower this time.

“Keith.”

He looked up - to the healer looking concerned and Takashi looking horrified. Keith closed his fist, but the damage was done.

Takashi knelt down beside the bed. “How long?”

Keith shrugged. “Since last summer.”

“Since the _summer_?” Takashi said, appalled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I- I didn’t want you to worry,” Keith whispered, cradling the sad little flower to his chest.

The healer cleared his throat. “I’ll brew up a tincture for hanahaki, shall I?” He patted Keith’s knee. “It won’t cure it, but it - it’ll help.”

Takashi nodded. “Thank you, Coran.”

Coran bowed, shooing the other apprentices away with a whispered, "Lance, Hunk! Go on!"

But Takashi ignored them. He cupped his hand around Keith’s, bending down to him like a flower growing toward the sun. “It’s going to be alright, Keith.”

“I know,” Keith said, but his eyes shone with tears and Takashi rested his forehead against Keith’s, praying to any god who would listen to spare him.

***

Coran forbade Keith from sparring, but the tincture did seem to help - he had to stop to catch his breath more than before, but he only had an occasional coughing fit, and he smiled as much as he did before.

The king and queen were at their wits’ end - they had their suspicions, but Takashi still refused to tell them who his unrequited love was, and he was coughing up two or three petals at a time now. He swore Coran to secrecy when he turned up alone at the infirmary during the second watch.

“Two cases of hanahaki in one year!” Coran said, bustling over with the tincture. “I haven’t seen this since I was young.” He squinted at Takashi. “I suppose you won’t confess either?”

Takashi shook his head and Coran tutted at him. “Very noble and self-sacrificing, I’m sure,” he said, giving Takashi a dose of the tincture. He made a face at the bitter taste, and Coran shook his head. “But it’s also moronic. Your highness,” he added, and Takashi laughed, and then coughed. “Between you and Ser Kogane I’ll be headed to an early grave.”

Takashi’s brow furrowed at the mention of Keith’s name and Coran put a hand on his shoulder. “At least consider it?”

Takashi nodded and Coran sighed before sending him off to bed.

***

The King and Queen fretted as day after day passed and Takashi showed no sign of accepting any of his suitors and his cough showed no sign of disappearing.

One morning, the Queen went for a walk around the garden with Takashi, tucking her hand in the crook of his arm. It was a beautiful day - the sky was perfectly blue, and the birds were singing and flitting from branch to branch. 

“Your father and I have been talking about having a ball,” the Queen said. Takashi gave her a skeptical look, and she sighed. “Takashi, we’ve done everything we can think of,” she said. “You can’t just wither away because you won’t confess -”

“It doesn’t matter,” Takashi said, with the certainty of the young and very in love. “He doesn’t love me, I won’t make him feel obligated to marry me.”

Before the Queen could argue, they turned a corner and saw Keith, staring at him with a stricken look on his face. “Keith!” Takashi gasped - and then he started to cough, harder than ever.

“Shiro!” Keith said, running up to wrap an arm around Takashi’s waist and helping the Queen guide him to a nearby bench. Takashi coughed and coughed and coughed, clutching his mother’s hand while Keith curled around him - until he was blinking down at a purple flower in his hand. 

“Shiro…” Keith murmured, his voice rough. “You never said -”

The Queen ran her fingers through Takashi’s hair. “I’ll go fetch Coran,” she murmured, leaving so quickly that neither of them had time to wonder why the _Queen_ was going to fetch the healer.

“I didn’t want you to worry,” Takashi said weakly.

“ _Shiro_ ,” Keith groaned, letting Takashi rest his head on his shoulder. “I swore an oath to worry about you.”

“I don’t remember that being part of the oath,” Takashi said, smiling to himself when Keith huffed at him.

“I’m supposed to take care of you,” Keith whispered, and Takashi forced himself to sit up so he could look at Keith.

“You always do,” he said gently, and Keith’s face crumpled. 

“I just don’t understand,” he said. “I heard Matt Holt had proposed, I thought -”

Shiro shook his head. “He did, but it was a political match. He’s my dear friend, but... I don’t love him.” 

Keith blinked up at him. “Then who?” he demanded. “How could anyone not love you?”

Takashi fought the urge to cough. “ _Keith_.”

Keith shook his head, biting his lip - but try as he might, he couldn’t hold back his cough, and it was Takashi’s turn to wrap an arm around him and run a hand up and down Keith’s back. He caught a glimpse of blood on the petals, and the flowers in his own lungs threatened to choke him. “I wish I could help you,” he whispered.

Keith shook his head as he gasped for breath. “Don’t - don’t say that,” he said. “It’s not your fault, Shiro.”

Takashi’s breath hitched in his chest. “You should tell them.”

“I _can’t!_ ” Keith keened. “I can’t, it would ruin everything…”

Takashi shushed him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “No one who loved you could stand to watch you waste away,” he murmured. “I can’t - I can’t bear it, Keith.”

Keith let out a little hiccuping breath. “And I can? If I confess, if I’m cured - I’d still have to watch you -” Another wracking cough sent him curling into Takashi’s chest, and Takashi pulled him close, until Keith was practically in his lap. Takashi buried his face in Keith’s hair until his breathing gradually evened out.

“If… If I confess, will you tell them?” Takashi asked. Keith tilted his head back to look up at him, his eyes lingering on Takashi’s face. He nodded, slowly, and Takashi smiled. “It’ll be alright, Keith,” he whispered, desperately hoping that it would be. “I promise.”

Keith nodded, doing his best to smile, and Takashi took a deep breath. He cupped Keith’s cheek with his metal hand and Keith’s eyes widened. “Keith - I love you.”

Keith blinked up at him. “What?”

“I love you -” Takashi said, and then the flowers scratched at his throat, threatening to choke him, and he coughed _again,_ longer than ever. Keith ran his fingers through Takashi’s hair, and Takashi couldn’t bear to look up at him until his lap was covered in purple petals.

He gasped for air, and dared a glance up at Keith.

Keith beamed at him, throwing his arms around Takashi’s neck. Takashi’s eyebrows shot up, and Keith laughed. “Shiro - of course it’s you.” He laughed again at the shocked look on Takashi’s face, and then he inevitably started coughing. There were white flowers, and leaves, and roots, and Takashi thought it might never end. But finally, _finally,_ Keith smiled up at him, catching his breath.

“You love me?” he asked, smiling sweetly.

Takashi laughed, reaching out to catch Keith’s waist and pull him back into his lap. “I do,” he murmured. “I’ve loved you ever since we were plaguing Iverson and shirking our lessons.”

“Shiro!” Keith exclaimed, and Takashi laughed, hiding his face in the crook of Keith’s shoulder. Keith looped his arms around Takashi’s neck. “I don’t know when I first loved you,” he admitted. “It feels like I always have.” 

“Oh gods,” Takashi said. “We really have been fools, haven’t we?”

Keith laughed. “Well _I_ was hopelessly in love with the crown prince, waiting for him to marry some royal suitor.” He bit his lip, letting his gaze hang on Takashi’s mouth, and the breath hitched in Takashi’s chest - but this time with the desire curling in his chest. 

Keith’s eyes flicked up to meet his, and he smiled, bashful suddenly. Takashi cooed at him, reaching up to twine Keith’s curls around his metal fingers. “I’ve only ever wanted you,” he said, and Keith whimpered. 

“ _Shiro_ ,” he whispered, and Takashi cupped his jaw, tilting his chin up to meet him in a kiss. Keith’s lips were warm and soft, and he crooned softly, clutching at Takashi’s shoulders. 

Takashi thrilled under his touch, moaning “ _Keith_ ,” under his breath, and Keith grinned down at him, ducking down to kiss him fiercely. Takashi keened, perfectly happy to let Keith steal the breath from his lungs.

**Author's Note:**

> The Queen did come back with Coran, but Keith and Shiro were too distracted to notice, so they left the lovebirds to themselves. And they got married and lived happily ever after! <3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! <3 You can find me over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bavariancookie) if you want to talk about Sheith!


End file.
